Key Takeaways: VoIP VPN
- VPNs can help access blocked VoIP services by connecting you to a country where VoIP services are not banned.
- Using a VPN that offers great security and speed is critical to ensure safety and performance when making VoIP calls.
- ExpressVPN is your best bet. However, if you’re on a budget, you might choose one of the other services on this list, including NordVPN, Surfshark or CyberGhost.
VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology allows you to call other people using the internet. A VoIP VPN (virtual private network) helps users access VoIP services in countries where they’re banned. Some governments don’t like the idea of encrypted calls, and that’s why they block them. Countries like China, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, among others, ban VoIP services.
A VPN can assign an IP address that belongs to a country where VoIPs aren’t banned, allowing you to access VoIP services. VPNs also encrypt your connection and VoIP traffic — ensuring you can use VoIP services without the fear of your VoIP activity being traced back to you. However, not all VPNs are equally good at encrypting your connection and maintaining anonymity.
If you’re not familiar with VPNs, finding a decent service can be tricky — that’s what we’re here for. In this article, we help you select the best VoIP VPN. If you don’t want to spend time reading the full guide, the short version is that we recommend using ExpressVPN.
VoIP VPN Quick Guide: Set Up VoIP With a VPN
Setting up VoIP with a VPN is fairly easy. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:
- Download and Install a VPN
Start by downloading a VPN app from a VPN service provider’s website — we recommend ExpressVPN. Install and launch the app on your computer.
- Connect to a VPN Server
Connect to a VPN server in a country that allows VoIP services to operate. Ideally, you should connect to a server close to your location for better connection speeds.
- Place a Call
Once connected, place a call using the VoIP app of your choice.
What Makes the Best VoIP VPN?
The best VoIP VPN should offer excellent security and fast connection speeds. The following VPNs offer that and much more.
- ExpressVPN — Excellent speed and security
- NordVPN — Fastest VPN on the market
- Surfshark — Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Proton VPN — Free VoIP VPN
- CyberGhost — VPN with automation features
Security is the most critical aspect of using a VPN for a VoIP service. Strong encryption ensures nobody — not even the government or your ISP (internet service provider) — can read your data. The best VPN services use encryption protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard and ciphers like AES-256 or ChaCha20.
Fast connection speeds are just as important, as they ensure that call quality doesn’t suffer. Using a VPN typically slows down speeds, because of the encryption. However, the best VPNs keep this reduction to a minimum.
VPNs can also help access geoblocked content. Not all VPNs can effectively bypass geoblocks, though, so make sure to select one that has a proven track record of getting through and a large server network. This is especially important in censorship-heavy countries like China and Saudi Arabia.
The 5 Best VPNs for VoIP
We tested all major VPNs with the most popular VoIP services, including Skype and WhatsApp, to find the five that work the best. We’ll dive deeper into these VPN services below, but if you don’t want to bother with details — we recommend ExpressVPN.
1. ExpressVPN
More details about ExpressVPN:
- Pricing: $6.66 per month (15-months plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money guarantee
- Provider website: expressvpn.com
Pros:
- Excellent security features
- Fast media streaming
- Servers in over 90 countries
Cons:
- Expensive
ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market, offering everything you’d expect from a premium VPN. Most importantly, ExpressVPN offers top-notch security and fast connection speeds — a combination you need to unblock VoIP apps safely and maintain great call quality.
The app includes protocols like OpenVPN and Lightway — ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol. ExpressVPN has additional security features like a kill switch, DNS leak protection and split tunneling (available for Windows, Mac, Android and routers).
Our tests reveal that ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on the market, meaning you won’t have problems with shaky call quality or unexpected drops. Learn more about ExpressVPN’s capabilities and features in our comprehensive ExpressVPN review.
Built-In Obfuscation
Obfuscation is built into all ExpressVPN servers. Obfuscated servers help conceal VPN usage and make it harder for the VoIP service provider to detect that you’re using a VPN. This allows you to access VoIP services more safely. ExpressVPN also has a massive server network spread across over 90 countries.
ExpressVPN boasts a superior feature set and premium performance — which is reflected in its pricing. The annual plan offers the most value and costs $6.66 per month. The six-month plan costs $9.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $12.95 per month. You can try ExpressVPN risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
2. NordVPN
More details about NordVPN:
- Pricing: $3.49 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money guarantee
- Provider website: nordvpn.com
Pros:
- Fastest VPN
- Extensive security
- Thousands of servers
Cons:
- No specialty servers on NordLynx
NordVPN is the fastest VPN on the market, according to our speed tests. Whether you’re making voice or video calls, NordVPN provides the smooth connection needed for high-quality calls. The speeds don’t come at the expense of security, either. NordVPN is one of the most secure VPNs there is.
The service offers two protocols: OpenVPN (UDP and TCP) and NordLynx — NordVPN’s proprietary protocol, based on WireGuard. A kill switch, DNS leak protection and split tunneling are also available. NordVPN has one of the largest server networks among the VPNs in this list, with over 5,000 servers spread across 60 countries.
If you’re in a region where VoIP is blocked, NordVPN can help unblock VoIP services. It gets into all the popular VoIP platforms. Being able to unblock these platforms using a VPN as fast as NordVPN helps you make great quality video and voice calls on your preferred platform. Learn more about the fastest VPN service in our comprehensive NordVPN review.
Specialty Servers
NordVPN offers four specialty server types for additional security: obfuscated, double VPN, P2P and Onion Over VPN servers. Obfuscated servers are helpful when accessing VoIP services because they help conceal VPN usage while allowing you to bypass VoIP restrictions. Double VPN is a great way to improve your network’s security because it routes your traffic via more than one server location.
Note that these servers offer additional security. NordVPN is secure even when you’re not using one of these server types.
NordVPN’s two-year plan is its best value, costing $3.49 per month. Alternatively, you can opt for a shorter-term plan. The annual plan costs $4.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $12.99 per month. You can try this VoIP VPN risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
3. Surfshark
More details about Surfshark:
- Pricing: $2.49 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money guarantee
- Provider website: surfshark.com
Pros:
- Unlimited devices
- Extensive features
- Fast streaming
Cons:
- High latency
Surfshark hasn’t been around for as long as other services on the list, but it’s quickly become one of the best VPNs on the market. It has an extensive feature set, offers top-notch security and delivers great connection speeds, perfect for high-quality VoIP calls.
The app offers three security protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. It also offers a clear, transparent no-logging policy. This means you never have to worry about Surfshark sharing your data with anyone.
Surfshark is one of the few providers to offer unlimited simultaneous connections, meaning you can share your account with friends or family who need to access a VoIP service or unblock geoblocked websites. Learn more about Surfshark’s offerings in our Surfshark review.
Additional Features
Surfshark offers a strong lineup of additional features that not many premium VPNs have. For example, the Surfshark app is equipped with CleanWeb 2.0 — a powerful malware and ad blocker that can block ads on all apps, instead of just the browser.
The app’s IP rotation feature automatically changes your IP address every few minutes without changing your virtual location, which is helpful if a service keeps blocking your IP address. Using this feature might disrupt the connection when you’re on a call, but most VoIP services will reconnect you without dropping the call altogether.
Surfshark is a low-cost service, with its best deal (the two-year plan) costing $2.49 per month. Six-month and monthly plans are also available, costing $3.99 per month and $12.95 per month, respectively. Like other services, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can always claim a full refund if you’re not entirely satisfied.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
4. Proton VPN
More details about Proton VPN:
- Pricing: $4.99 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: Yes; limited to three server locations
- Provider website: protonvpn.com
Pros:
- Free unlimited data
- Fast streaming
- Great interface
Cons:
- Free servers in 3 countries
If you want a free VPN to go with your free VoIP phone service, like Skype, Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger, Proton VPN is an excellent choice. We typically avoid recommending free VPNs — they’re slow, unreliable and often harmful (especially the ones in our worst VPNs list) — but Proton VPN is one of the few exceptions. For others, see our list of the best free VPNs.
Proton VPN offers OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard protocols alongside AES-256 and ChaCha20 ciphers. Its privacy policy commits to zero logging, so you never need to worry about your data’s integrity. To round off a solid offering, the app offers app-based split tunneling (on Windows and Android), a kill switch and DNS leak protection.
Even on the free plan, Proton VPN offers great speeds, which is good news for voice and video clarity during VoIP calls. The free plan includes servers in three countries: the Netherlands, the U.S. and Japan. Learn more about this VPN service in our Proton VPN review.
Unlimited Data
Most free VPNs, at least the trustworthy ones, are a preview of the VPN provider’s premium service. VPN providers typically restrict access to a handful of features to encourage users to switch to the paid plan. Most VPNs choose to limit data, but fortunately, Proton VPN takes a different route.
Instead of limiting data, Proton VPN limits server locations on the free plan. This works out well for users who need a fast and secure VPN connection to make VoIP calls. It’s also great for users who want to stream geoblocked content (albeit in three countries) for free.
unlimited high-quality voice and video calls.
Proton VPN offers paid plans too. The best deal (the two-year plan) costs $4.99 per month. The one-year plan costs $5.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $9.99 per month. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re not completely satisfied, you can claim a full refund.
- Unlimited GB
- 1
- Yes
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
5. CyberGhost
More details about CyberGhost:
- Pricing: $2.37 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None; 45-day money guarantee
- Provider website: cyberghostvpn.com
Pros:
- Excellent desktop interface
- Automation features
- 45-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Slow
CyberGhost is the most affordable service on the list. However, it still has the makings of a premium VPN. One of its best features is its large server network. CyberGhost has over 9,000 servers spread across 91 countries.
The app offers excellent security. You can choose between OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2 (available on Windows, macOS and iOS). There’s a kill switch, and the Windows and macOS apps offer URL-based split tunneling, while the Android app offers app-based split tunneling.
CyberGhost isn’t one of the fastest VPNs we’ve seen, but it’s good enough for making clear VoIP calls. Streaming, on the other hand, isn’t CyberGhost’s strongest suit. It gets into HBO Max and Hulu, but we had to switch a few servers to unblock BBC iPlayer, and it failed to get into Disney Plus. Learn more about the service in our thorough CyberGhost review.
Automation Features
The “smart rules” feature on CyberGhost helps automate various VPN-related tasks that can save you a few clicks every day. Smart rules — available on Windows and Mac — rely on triggers to take a predefined action. For example, you can configure CyberGhost to connect to a specific server location whenever you launch a browser or VoIP application.
CyberGhost is a low-cost service. The two-year plan (its best value) costs just $2.37 per month. Shorter-term plans include the six-month plan, costing $6.99 per month, and the monthly plan, which costs $12.99 per month. You get a longer, 45-day money-back guarantee (14 days on the monthly plan), so you have a longer window to try CyberGhost with zero risk.
- Unlimited GB
- 7
- Yes
Why Should You Use a VPN for VoIP?
VPNs offer various advantages over a proxy. First, a VPN tunnel is encrypted. This means that your internet traffic can’t be read by anyone, even if they manage to get their hands on it. A proxy doesn’t offer any encryption, so the government or your ISP can easily trace online activities back to you. That’s why they’re not the best option to unblock VoIP.
In any case, most proxies are unable to unblock VoIP services altogether. They’re just not as effective as VPNs at unblocking geoblocked websites and services. Even some VPNs fail at unblocking websites, though, so it’s important to choose a service that has been tested to get into blocked websites — we recommend ExpressVPN.
Which Countries Ban VoIP?
Many countries block VoIP services because they offer end-to-end encrypted voice calls, and local carriers take a hit when you make free calls using a VoIP like Skype. You can use a VPN to unblock Skype and other VoIP services in the following countries where VoIP services are completely or partially banned by the government:
Belize — Only government-owned services allowed
Brazil — Only government-owned services allowed
Caribbean Region — Free apps blocked by cellular providers
China — Only government-owned services allowed
Cuba — Skype is blocked
Egypt — Blocked on mobile devices
Iran — Foreign apps blocked
Jordan — Blocked by the government
Mexico — Blocked by some ISPs
Pakistan — Blocked by the government, can apply for allowlist
South Korea — Partially blocked by ISPs
North Korea — International calling illegal
Kuwait — Blocked by the government
UAE — Use of VoIP illegal
Oman — Blocked by the government
Morocco — Blocked by the government
Paraguay — Blocked by the government- Jordan — Blocked by the government
Israel — Partially blocked by the government
Qatar — Only QTel and Vodafone allowed
Can You Use a Free VPN for VoIP?
Yes, you can use a free VPN like Proton VPN to access VoIP on computers or mobile devices. We typically don’t recommend free VPNs because they’re slow and unreliable. However, exceptions do exist — Proton VPN is one of them. Using a free VPN along with a free VoIP provider like Skype can help you connect with friends or family at no cost.
Final Thoughts
Many countries, including China, Iran, Kuwait and the UAE, block VoIP services. VPNs can help unblock them, provided you pick the right service. VPNs also secure your connection, protecting you from the government or ISP tracking the VoIP activity back to you.
Have you tried using a VPN to make VoIP calls? Which one, and did you experience any lack of clarity during the call? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thank you for reading.
FAQ: Best VPN For VoIP
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Yes, you can use a VoIP service with a VPN. If you’re in a country that blocks VoIPs, using a reliable VPN can help unblock these services so you can enjoy free VoIP calling. Even if you’re in a country where VoIP services are accessible, using a VPN helps secure your connection.
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VPNs generally slow down your connection speed because of encryption. If you’re already on an internet connection with slow speeds and you use a VPN that can’t deliver great speeds, you might face performance issues during calls. By using a premium VPN like ExpressVPN, this reduction will be minimal.
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VPNs can help bypass VoIP restrictions. They do so by hiding your real IP address, and therefore, your location. VPNs also encrypt your connection so that nobody will know you’ve bypassed government restrictions and accessed VoIP services.
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